Students and teachers at the Hemlock Public School District are quickly seeing gains from the district’s innovative new partnership with Paper.
In December 2021, Hemlock Public School District contracted with the company so that all students in grades seven through 11 could gain access to unlimited, 24/7 academic support, at no cost to students and families.
Paper instantly connects students to tutors who help them study for tests, complete assignments, and explore new topics. Unlimited help is available for all subjects and in multiple languages — anytime and from anywhere.
To date, more than 28,000 minutes of live tutoring have been recorded on the platform.
“As a math teacher, I have definitely had my fair share of students whose confidence levels are super low,” said Bebow. “They need a lot of help and feedback when working on their independent practice, but when they go home for the day, I’m not available anymore to help them. This can mean that they either won’t do their practice or end up rushing through it and guessing the answers.”
“But Paper has changed that,” she added. “Students can connect with a tutor whenever they need it so that they can continue to get the help and feedback they need in order to be successful with their practice. I love that the tutors encourage our students and give positive feedback as they work together to solve problems step by step.”
The 2,962 sessions recorded so far have an average duration of 21 minutes each. Math was by far the most popular subject during these tutoring sessions.
“Very great tutor,” wrote an eighth grade student in a survey response. “He didn’t give up on me even though I might’ve been a difficult student to work with, I suck at math. He helped me understand better. Thanks a lot!”
In Paper’s Review Center, students can upload any kind of written work, from essays to lab reports and resumes. Tutors review their work asynchronously and provide feedback on style, grammar, plagiarism, and adherence to rubrics.
“One goal I have for my students is to sharpen their skill of peer-editing written work,” said Ashley Helmer, sixth and eighth grade English language arts teacher. “With Paper’s Review Center option, my students are able to see what quality feedback looks like with the help of Paper tutors. This not only assists my students in receiving quality feedback on their own writing but also helps model the thoughtful and relevant type of feedback they should make sure to provide their peers.”
“Paper’s quick turnaround with editing student written work provides quality and thoughtful feedback in a matter of hours,” added Helmer. “This convenient feature allows my students to feel confident in their essay revisions, regardless of whether they are working in the classroom or finishing their paper at home on the weekend. The combination of both cutting-edge technology and the personalized touch of a one-on-one tutor make the Paper community second to none.”
Teachers and administrators can review student activity and track progress on the Paper platform. With handy reporting capabilities, they can pinpoint where students need help, and where they’re excelling.
“Paper has allowed our students to become more independent with their learning,” said Ashley Bebow, a sixth and seventh grade math teacher. “When they go home for the day, they don’t need to email their teachers anymore for help because they can easily and quickly connect with a Paper tutor. Students can get timely feedback on short writing assignments and essays, and get step-by-step help with their math practice. Parents and guardians no longer have to feel pressured to remember how to do certain concepts because students have access to help 24/7 through Paper!”
More about Paper:
Mission-driven educators founded Paper to help every student reach their full potential through an unlimited, on-demand Educational Support System (ESS) that includes 1:1 virtual tutoring, a Writing Review Center, College & Career Support, and PaperLive — a streaming service featuring interactive after-school programming. Paper's highly qualified educators provide an instructional framework emphasizing inquiry-based learning to empower students to pursue lifelong learning and prepare for college and career success. Paper's multilingual support is available in English, Spanish, French, and Mandarin. With a mission to help close the achievement and opportunity gaps, Paper aims to address the inequities facing all students, especially those from marginalized groups.
Paper supports over 3.5 million students at approximately 400 school districts across 41 US states and Canada. In total, they employ well over 2000 tutors. Find out more: https://paper.co